Emergency Notification System expanded

• Alerts can now be sent to cell phones

There are now three new ways Santa Clarita residents can be alerted if their neighborhood is threatened by a major disaster.

Residents who sign up for a service offered by the city will be notified by e-mail, cell phone or Internet-based phone if a major disaster, such as a fire or earthquake impacts their neighborhood.

"We're no stranger to disasters here," said city spokeswoman Gail Ortiz. "Earthquakes, floods, fires, you name it. There's always something."

The city already utilizes a reverse-911 system through which the city notifies homes and businesses by land-line phone numbers provided by local telephone companies. But sometimes people are not home when disaster threatens their home, Ortiz said.

A lot of Santa Clarita residents work outside the area and want to be notified of an emergency so that they can get home quickly, she said.

The system will notify residents with information about the event and/or recommended or required actions, including evacuations.

To register your Internet-based telephone, cell phone or e-mail address, fill out the registration form at www.santa-clarita.com.